Cool place for the kids to play and run around. It has swings, slides and a jungle gym.read more

Such a cool play space for kids (big and small)! Funded by the local parents, this space has…read moreeverything a kid could want in a playground--- jungle gyms for little & older kids, rock climbing walls, low-zipline (sit and stand versions), outdoor musical instruments, a playhouse, and a variety of swings (toddler, special needs, older kids and a large one for a group)!! There's even a Free Library kiosk to encourage reading (take a book, leave a book). Bathrooms on site will be a welcome relief to parents (pun intended). We stopped by here after grabbing lunch in the area, what an awesome find. Fortunately, it's within walking distance to a deli and coffee shop. Hope to come here again... best free entertainment for the kiddos.

My little queens were tired of the same playgrounds. My bro's yelp review and pix impressed us all…read more We parked right in front and my kids (ages 3 and 5) ran to the castle-themed jungle gyms and had fun and freedom for the next 2 hours. There were so many structures that all the children had plenty of personal space. Special features included a roller-based slide, a zip-line, and a rope climb. It's an excellent playground I can add to the rotation. Come out and play! NOTES/TIPS: **Picnic tables, plenty of benches, and 2 porta-potties on-site. **If the main parking lot is full, additional parking is 200 ft. away. **The playground is next to a basketball court, baseball field, and soccer field.

Drove in around 12 noon on a Friday, noticed right away that although there was plenty of parking,…read morethe playground was packed. Benches for eating are at the entrance located close enough to watch your kids playing basketball or on the playground. This playground is neat... truly a castle inspired theme. Great for playing peekaboo with your toddlers with many mazes to get lost in and still be sure your child is safe and can't fall out the sides (too easily). There's also a slide that can be climbed which my son was very intrigued with, once he got to the top he'd jump on the big boy slide and come out the other end, he's 14 months so there's really so much for him to explore. There's also bigger slides for older kids, different monkey bars to climb, kiddie and big kid swings, little castles with benches and tables to picnic in, and plenty of benches surrounding the playground for parents to hang out in. We lived up to our mantra: PLAY HARD NAP HARD! Baby was knocked out as soon as we got in the car so I must say it was a good day. My name is Francis and I approve of this playground. YSA (yelp service announcement) When you come here punch into your GPS this address: 651 Shunkpike Rd. Chatham NJ otherwise you will get lost.

This is a really cute park! I do think that it's a great central location for the county and the…read morearea, because it's large enough to host many many events but also it's out of the way so it doesn't really get to a point where the streets are crowded or anything like that. I also really appreciate how much parking it has. It's well kept and a beautiful area. It is pretty hilly at certain points so I can't see it as a recommendation for like walking or running. But overall, I think it's a very nice area especially if you have kids. This is where I lost boarding events are held and a lot of community events as well.

Great place to bring the kids in a summer day. You have the park and splash pad all in one.read more

I have been going here for over 50 years. Come see what keeps me coming back. Usually go in June or…read moreJuly. It's full of trees and waterfalls! Pack a picnic and don't forget your camera. Relax and Enjoy

George W. Childs park is a lush park with at least 3 waterfalls, well maintained roads and trails…read moreand relatively easy parking. The bang for the buck in terms of the walking in return for the views is simply splendid! This park offers shelters and brick and mortar bathrooms as well. The crowd is thin and courteous. Best summer road trip from Manhattan!

Happy Sunday my fellow Adventurers!…read more This is a relatively new hidden gem that I just found. From what I know it was a swimming hole back in 1989 however they closed it down when it was used for a water resource until recently they decided to bring it back to its original roots. (Please fat check this) It has the brand new man made beach complete with what seems to be quarry sand that is course and not like beach sand. Its a beautiful white and lovely when the sun hits its crystalline in texture. The beach itself is small relatively compared to say a lake community beach. There are two lifeguard stations and several rotating guards. The small beach has four areas with noodle ropes in order for you to make sure you are swimming in the right spots. They offer swimming lessons which is really good for the local communities. They also have a platform in the middle which is about 11 feet deep which is reminiscent of the 'Blob' Movie. I half expected that the Blob would come especially if you sneak in after hours. (I don't recommend this lol) You basically pull in and park either on the grass or follow the road to the concession stand. You can purchase a day pass for $10 with no residential requirement for the area. I believe you can purchase an annual badge which I think runs $25-35 per person. You fill out a form that is all legalities and liabilities in order to get the badge or wristband for a day pass. The staff are really helpful and accommodating for any questions you may have. They have very clean porta-potties that are frequently serviced. As well as a concession stand that offered hotdogs, hang burgers, and various other carnival like foods. They sometimes run out of items like sauerkraut with no compensation of any sort which I get they can't help but it's a small area and was open at 11 am, we got there by 12. Always purchase back ups in order to provide for your customers. The hot dogs are pre-grilled and wrapped in aluminum so don't expect a fresh dirty water dog. The overall experience is a really nice one considering you battle tons of traffic going the shore versus the short ten minute drive from Hamburg and $10 fee. It's also really brand new and still working itself out.

Nice, clean park. Dog friendly place to walk. Fun local events. Very nice children's area.read more

I thought our parks were nice in Somerset County but we may have some competition. Whew - this spot…read morewas beyond gorgeous! And we discovered it by accident. Wesley was amped up after his vaccines so I decided to look for a park where we could eat our lunch and enjoy the spring weather. I legit just looked up parks on Apple Maps and chose the closest place. Oh my god - there was a lake - accessible by walking or by car. So many lovely places to park right by the water. An ABUNDANCE of benches. So many beautiful cherry blossom canopies. And dog friendly to boot! We saw elderly couples, teenage friends, young lovers, new moms, athletes, dog dads, people fishing. There's also swimming and aquatics there once the summer rolls around. It was just so perfect. For history buffs, there was also a war memorial to departed soldiers from the area since The Revolutionary War(!!). What a sweet little afternoon break!

some thing for everyone it seems!…read more You'll find a playful area called Imagination Station, shady spots, a little "sprinkler park," fishing spots, and courts for basketball and volleyball. The park has a large 40 × 80-foot pavilion, a covered stage, and a gazebo on "the Island" with benches nearby--ideal for parties, ceremonies, or even just relaxing with family, That's where we had our picnic--enjoying lunch with a view of the lake. this ares also marked as Roxbury Rotary pavillon. Concert/big gathering, and Roxbury's Memorial Day Parade and ceremony spot. The grounds are tidy and well-maintained, with scenic views of the horseshoe-shaped lake that's especially beautiful at sunrise or sunset It is a relaxed and welcoming spot for families, friends, and big gatherings. From playgrounds to trails, sports fields to peaceful lake views, it offers a bit of everything.

For what it's worth, this review specifically pertains to a rainy winter hike - I can't comment on…read moremost of the park amenities near the playgrounds, playing fields, etc. And I'm also willing to acknowledge that I likely would have felt more favorably disposed toward this park if we had been there in better weather that didn't give off massive Pacific NW vibes. The dreary conditions were not the park's fault. Loantaka was the site of the annual first of the year hike with a group of noble chums. Interestingly, there was a rival "official" hike being held at the same time by the Boy Scouts of America - their social media announcements (complete with map) ahead of time were very helpful in locating a decent parking area for my compatriots. I don't think I have the ability on Yelp to review the BSA, but their scoutmaster was a gem and several of my chums purchased commemorative pins for the event at their little kiosk. Also, my dad was an Eagle Scout and can start a bonfire in about 30 seconds, so that's something. For the purposes of our adventure, we ended up walking 3.13 miles (assuming an Apple watch was correct, which I'm always dubious about), an out-and-back from the parking lot off Loantaka Way to Kitchell Lake just across the aptly named Kitchell Road. The parking lot was easy to access with plenty of spaces, though it was a bit more crowded by the time we were done. It was very pleasing to see several port-a-potties nearby, and I can report from firsthand experience that they were relatively clean, though the toilet seat in mine was wet and required my first squatting situation of 2022. I could breathe comfortably though, so I think you take that compromise if you can get it. The trails are very well maintained - we were exclusively on paved ones, though it looked like there were a few dirt paths that went off them as well, all of which looked tidy and drama-free. That said, it would have been nice if there were more markers/signage giving us a better idea of where we were. It would be difficult to get authentically lost in this area (I imagine it would take roughly 15 minutes to accidentally stumble across a county highway), but it would have been helpful for our orientation. This year's hike featured an Honorary Young Pup of 6, who was able to handle the adventure with aplomb (and enjoyed spotting the metal tags on the trees). There were also many pooches on the premises, and virtually all seemed to be doodle mixes of some sort - very little variety in this area of Jersey, apparently. If you're looking for decent photo ops, this is not where I'd go; this is a park that I'd use exclusively for very mild cardio/fresh air. There are a few streams on the journey, but nothing to write home about. The pond was pleasant enough, with abundant waterfowl in the distance, but it's hard to get whipped up about scenery that looks like it's straight out of Taylor Swift's Folklore album photo shoot.

Followed the gps and it told me to park on the side of the road but there was a sign that said you…read morecouldn't park there. I played it safe and looped around the park and noticed that there's actually a parking lot located on Loantaka Way. First time I came here was in the Spring of 2018 and by the summer I noticed they installed bikes now. You'll have to download the app and follow the instructions to unlock it. Nice clean well maintained park. What I love most about this place is that it's shaded!!!! Given the summer heat, this is the perfect place to take a stroll.

This short "trail" may be about the cutest thing in the whole entire world! Just off of Locus…read moreGrove Parking lot, this short trail got my imagination going; you can really feel the magic! All kinds of fairy houses dot the trail, some solitary, and some in little hamlets. I can only imagine the hours of play time this trail provides kids. The trail itself is short with no real elevation change, but the dirt is very compacted from use, leaving a ton of tree roots and rocks to trip over, so do watch your step!

STEPH JUDGEMENT: A fun, homespun art experience along a beautiful walking trail…read more We were staying with some friends in the area, and while perusing Google maps I noticed this spot, which sounded fun. Our friends knew about it and said they hadn't been since their kids were little, but were game to take us. It started out as a guerilla DIY art project by a local guy but has since become an official part of the beautiful South Mountain Reservation park. It's basically a bunch of adorable handmade fairy houses along a walking trail. Different people contributed to the trail, but at some point new additions were forbidden. Some houses were dilapidated, and I'm not sure how they're maintained (if at all), but there were enough houses to make for an enchanting stop.